Papal Encyclicals--Where to Begin?

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I’m still a fairly “young” Catholic–I converted nearly four years ago–and I haven’t read any of the Papal Encyclicals yet. I hear lots of references to them, but I still haven’t taken the dive into one.

Any suggestions on where to begin? If it helps to know a bit about me in order to make a recommendations, I’m a 50-something single female, no children, raised and baptized in a Protestant denomination (Church of the United Brethren in Christ), and am very interested in Church history.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!
 
I guess it depends what specific topic you’re interested in–they tend to be very topic specific, and then dealing with some issue of pastoral importance to the time and place they were written.

I think it would be best to come up with a topic of interest first, and then find encyclicals on that topic.
 
Just in terms of style, I’d say start with anything by St. Pope John Paul II. His beautiful run-on sentences wrap around and around and around your heart.
 
I would start with Rerum Novarum (Leo XIII, 1891), on Catholic social teaching.

Others, in chronological order:

Humanum Genus (Leo XIII, 1884) - Freemasonry
Providentissimus Deus (Leo XIII, 1893) - biblical studies
Pascendi Dominici Gregis (Pius X, 1907) - the Modernist heresy
Divini Illius Magistri (Pius XI, 1929) - Christian education
Casti Connubii (Pius XI, 1930) - Christian marriage
Humanae Vitae (Paul VI, 1968) - regulation of birth

These are the first ones that come to mind. There are many others. Be aware that older encyclicals are very dense reading, and were addressed to the bishops of the Church. Nonetheless, they are not impenetrable, just not what we’re used to in the modern age.
 
That’s my problem, Genesis315: I’m interested in EVERYTHING! lol Your advice is sound, though. Time to Google a list of topics and narrow it down from there. Thanks!
 
Thanks! I was thinking about Veritatis Splendor, among others.
 
Oooh! Catholic social teaching sounds like a good starter. Thank you!
 
SeekerWillie said:
Catholic social teaching sounds like a good starter.
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So the main social encyclicals would be the following–I bolded what I would consider the biggies if you want to focus on a few.

Rerum Novarum (Leo XIII)
Quadragesimo Anno (Pius XI)
Mater et Magistra (John XXIII)
Populorum Progressio (Paul VI)
Laborem Exercens (John Paul II)
Solicitudo Rei Socialis (John Paul II)
Centesimus Annus (John Paul II)
Caritas in Veritate (Benedict XVI)

Pope Francis’ Laudato Si is considered a “social encyclical”–the Pope himself does–but its scope is much more narrow with less focus on the social issues the others focused on, so it is kind of in its own category IMO.

It also bears noting, the social encyclicals, by their very nature, are focused on the social circumstances of their times, which are constantly changing. But there is consistency in the timeless principles being applied to those new situations over time.
 
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I would start with Pope Francis, so you know what he wants the Church to understand in our time. Then you will get a sense of how encyclicals interact with the Church around them. While I agree that Rerum Novarum is among the most important, you really need some knowledge of the times to understand some of what he says.

Ecclesiam Suam from Paul VI was written during the Second Vatican Council and set the tone for the gathered bishops and for the implementation of the Council. His apostolic exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi is also good.

Redemptor Hominis was John Paul II’s first encyclical lays out his vision of the Christ, the Church, and his hope for the Papacy. First encyclicals can be revealing, though I think Benedict XVI and Francis both finished off documents started by their predecessors. Not as personal as HR from JP2 or ES from Paul6.
 
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